Observation of the Day
Today is the opening of the Beijing Olympics. How much the games have changed not only from their renewal in 1896 after a fifteen hundred year absence, but how much they have changed even in my life time. I have seen about half of them through the media. The games reflect the times of sports today -- commercialism. Everything is sponsored, and I think we are still in the beginning of total commercialization of all sports. The Olympics now allow professional athletes. They are particularly prevalent in the popular sports. It is hard to get into the spirit of the worldwide games when some of the participants are millionaires several times over. But there are still beautiful moments of drama and accomplishment as well. That being said, the opening ceremonies are still great pageantry and are indeed spectacular.
I admit the following is a real stretch to find a personal note about these Olympic games, but it also shows that if you live long enough you do brush greatness in person sometimes. One of the highlights and well kept secrets of the opening evening of any Olympic Games evening is always who is going to carry to torch and light the Olympic flame. Atlanta was special for me. Al Oerter carried the flame from the streets of Atlanta into the bowels of the stadium. Al was a four-time Olympian gold medal winner and a graduate of the University of Kansas (I think). I remember seeing Al perform at an indoor track meet at Michigan State. He handed the torch to Evander Holyfield, an Atlanta native and former heavy weight boxing champion and he carried into the center of the stadium through a tunnel to come out in the middle of the field. I remember Evander being escorted across the field just in front of where we were sitting at the sixth game of the World Series in 1991. He ran from the center of the field to the track and ran around the track where he eventually picked up a female Greek athlete (a distance runner), and they jointly carried it further around the track. This was the symbolism of the ancient Greek origins of the games and I think the coming of age and recognition of the female athletes.
Then came Janet Evans an American Gold Medal winner in swimming from Placentia, California. Plancentia is the town next to Yorba Linda, where we used to live. I remember Tim telling me about a swimming meet he attended between Esperanza High School (his first high school) and Placentia High School where Janet Evans Olympic and worlds record holder was a member of her high school swimming team. There is something a little strange about the feeling the Esperanza swimming team must have had about swimming against a world record holder, but it also exemplified that Janet was just an ordinary kid from Placentia with extra ordinary talent.
Janet carried the torch the rest of the way and ran up the long ramp to the top of the stadium to pass it off to the final recipient. From over the top of the back of the stadium through a fog of smoke emerged Mohammed Ali, the greatest heavy weight champion ever. A chill went up my spin and a tear came to my eye. Ali was a gold medal winner in boxing when he was known as Cassius Clay, and most popular man in the world, particularly in his hay day. He suffers from Parkinson Syndrome and his hand shook violently as he took the flame from Janet and reached to light the flame that would be carried to the top of the stadium to light the giant Olympic Torch. It was sad, but at the same time exhilarating.
In 1983, I was co-chairman of the winter conference of the American School Food Service Association held at the Hotel Del Coronado. There was a group that held a panel introducing a world hunger drive and had enlisted Mohammad Ali as a spokesman. There was the greatest champion of all time attending this convention of humble school lunch ladies. No one at least in our group realized that Ali was showing the first signs of his Parkinson’s Syndrome, but his speech was slow. It was painful to watch his slowness of speech and movement. This was the man who in his own words could “float like a butterfly and sting like a bee” and it was true. He was loved the world over and is loved today. Ali stayed for the meeting and breakfast the next day, entertaining the crowd with his magic tricks. He sat at table after dinner and signed all the autographs asked for. I got one each for Tim and Mark and shook his hand.
Our breakfast speaker the next day was Rafer Johnson, America’s greatest decathalete in his time. As Co-chair Doe and I got to meet and sit with him at breakfast. Doe was thrilled and absolutely fell in love with him. It was a great thrill when in 1984 Rafer lit the torch in Los Angeles. As we like to say, “Our close personal friend."
While we were eating breakfast Ali entered the room and sneaked up behind Rafer and put his hands over his eyes and said “Guess who?” When Rafer turned around he quickly got up and embarrassed Ali. They had been on the same Olympic team and they apparently had not seen each other in person since. I will never forget the snap shot in my mind of that tender moment of two of the greatest athletes of all time embracing in the banquet room of my favorite spot on earth.
So as I watched that dramatic moment when Muhammad Ali lit the Olympic torch and remembered that Doe and I had met both Olympic torch barriers and actually shared a brief moment between the two former Olympians. It was our Olympic moment even though it was only a brief brush that created a lasting memory.
I hope the Olympics go off in the spirit that they were intended. Maybe I am asking too much.
Have a nice day and enjoy the Olympics!
Sam
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